Rowridge transmitting station
Telecommunications transmission site on the Isle of Wight, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Rowridge transmitting station is a facility for FM radio and television transmission at Rowridge on the Isle of Wight in southern England.
The Rowridge transmitting station | |
  Rowridge transmitting station (Isle of Wight) | |
| Mast height | 149.6 metres (491 ft) |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 50.676389°N 1.368611°W |
| Grid reference | SZ447865 |
| BBC region | BBC South |
| ITV region | Southern (1969–1981) TVS (1982–1992) ITV Meridian (1993–present) |
| Local TV service | That's Solent |
It currently has a 172-metre (564 ft) tall guyed mast, owned and operated by Arqiva (previously National Grid Wireless). There is a smaller tower on the site belonging to British Telecom. Prior to Digital Switchover (DSO) the station broadcast with a power of 250 kW (ERP) for FM radio, 500 kW for analogue television, and 20 kW for digital television. In July 2007, Ofcom confirmed that Rowridge would remain an A Group transmitter at Digital switchover; the digital television transmission signal was then boosted to 200 kW. From March 2018 MUXES 7 & 8 moved out of the A group to channels 55 & 56, though these are due to be turned off between 2020 and 2022.
Rowridge is one of only two main transmitters (the other is the rather smaller transmitter of Rosneath in Scotland) to broadcast its output on both horizontal and vertical polarities. Only the main 6 MUXES are transmitted in vertical polarity. The reason for this dual polarity transmission is to give a second option to those experiencing co-channel interference from transmitters on the continent.
Analogue Channel 5 was not transmitted from Rowridge but was broadcast (at 10 kW) from Fawley Power Station, with the antenna located on the main chimney. Transmissions all fitted within the A group and were horizontally polarised. On 25 March 2009, Channel 5's analogue signal was turned off from Fawley Power Station, due to the digital switchover in the neighbouring Westcountry region.
Population coverage for the main four analogue channels was about 1.75 million.
History
The station was first built to provide BBC 405-line television coverage for an area including Southampton, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Dorchester, Chichester, Brighton, Winchester and Salisbury. Sites on the mainland and the Isle of Wight were considered, and three were tested by BBC Research Department.
Construction
A temporary 200 ft lattice mast was built with a main antenna at 175 ft and a reserve antenna lower down. These aerials were directional to enhance the signal northwards and reduce unwanted coverage to the south.[1]
It was built by BICC, alongside Pontop Pike (also 500 ft) and North Hessary Tor in Devon (a taller mast).
The ITA wanted to build a mast nearby on Chillerton Down, but in February 1957, the local council rejected the planning proposal, and wanted a joint transmitter, not two.[2] The ITA mast was built subsequently in 1958.
On June 17 1963 the local council gave planning permission for a joint ITA-BBC mast, 1,050 ft, for UHF 625 line television.[3]
Transmission
Test transmissions were from October 18 1954.[4] Television reception would stretch from Somerset to Sussex. Sussex had a previous 'booster' transmitter on Truleigh Hill in Upper Beeding.[5]
The service opened on 12 November 1954, bringing television to the area for the first time.
A programme feed was obtained via a Post Office radio link, using refurbished equipment that provided the original picture feed for the Wenvoe Transmitter on the British Telecom Microwave Network. A site for this near Alton, Hampshire was acquired and named after a nearby pub: Golden Pot. Here the TV signal from Alexandra Palace was picked up and relayed via a one-hop 4 GHz microwave link to Rowridge.[6]
The microwave link from Hampshire was brought into service on 18 October 1954. Later, the microwave link ran from the Museum telephone exchange in London to Rowridge, using Golden Pot as an intermediate site.[7]
A better transmitter would be fitted after a year, which was fitted in May 1956.[8] National radio on VHF was to be added by 1957.[9]
In 1965 the UHF antenna was added making the total height of the structure 149.6 metres (491 ft). This addition allowed Rowridge to radiate the PAL 625-line transmission that allowed broadcasts in colour and eventually stereo sound, using NICAM.
BBC2 was planned to arrive on November 14 1965 on 625 lines,[10] but test transmissions would start on December 18 1965, with full broadcasts from January 16 1966.[11]
On the neighbouring ITA mast, the ITA expected colour transmissions by late 1969.[12]
On 25 March 2009, Channel 5's analogue signal was turned off from Fawley Power Station. Later on in the day, "existing digital terrestrial TV services moved to new frequencies", due to the digital switchover happening in the region in 2012.[13]
Arqiva applied for planning permission to replace the existing 150m (492') mast with one 187m (614') high on 22 May 2009.[14]
Channels listed by frequency
Analogue radio
| Frequency | kW[15] | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 88.5 MHz | 250 | BBC Radio 2 |
| 90.7 MHz | 250 | BBC Radio 3 |
| 92.9 MHz | 250 | BBC Radio 4 |
| 96.1 MHz | 10 | BBC Radio Solent |
| 98.2 MHz | 250 | BBC Radio 1 |
| 100.3 MHz | 125 | Classic FM |
Digital radio
| Frequency | Block | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 225.648 MHz | 12B | 5 | BBC National DAB |
Analogue television
12 November 1954 – 15 January 1966
| Frequency | VHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56.75 MHz | 3 | 100 | BBC Television |
15 January 1966 – 13 December 1969
| Frequency | VHF | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56.75 MHz | 3 | — | 100 | BBC1 South |
| 495.25 MHz | — | 24 | 500 | BBC2 South |
13 December 1969 – 27 December 1969
| Frequency | VHF | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56.75 MHz | 3 | — | 100 | BBC1 South |
| 495.25 MHz | — | 24 | 500 | BBC2 South |
| 519.25 MHz | — | 27 | 500 | Southern |
27 December 1969 – 4 December 1982
| Frequency | VHF | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56.75 MHz | 3 | 100 | BBC1 South | |
| 495.25 MHz | — | 24 | 500 | BBC2 South |
| 519.25 MHz | — | 27 | 500 | TVS (Southern until 1982) |
| 551.25 MHz | — | 31 | 500 | BBC1 |
4 December 1982 – 3 January 1985
| Frequency | VHF | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56.75 MHz | 3 | — | 100 | BBC1 South |
| 471.25 MHz | — | 21 | 500 | Channel 4 |
| 495.25 MHz | — | 24 | 500 | BBC2 South |
| 519.25 MHz | — | 27 | 500 | TVS |
| 551.25 MHz | — | 31 | 500 | BBC1 |
3 January 1985 – 15 November 1998
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 471.25 MHz | 21 | 500 | Channel 4 |
| 495.25 MHz | 24 | 500 | BBC2 South |
| 519.25 MHz | 27 | 500 | Meridian (TVS until 1993) |
| 551.25 MHz | 31 | 500 | BBC1 South |
Analogue and digital television
15 November 1998 – 31 October 2002
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 471.25 MHz | 21 | 500 | Channel 4 | PAL System I |
| 489.833 MHz | 23- | 20 | BBC (Mux 1) | DVB-T |
| 495.25 MHz | 24 | 500 | BBC2 South | PAL System I |
| 513.833 MHz | 26- | 20 | Arqiva (Mux C) | DVB-T |
| 519.25 MHz | 27 | 500 | Meridian | PAL System I |
| 530.000 MHz | 28 | 20 | Digital 3&4 (Mux 2) | DVB-T |
| 546.000 MHz | 30 | 20 | SDN (Mux A) | DVB-T |
| 551.25 MHz | 31 | 500 | BBC1 South | PAL System I |
| 562.166 MHz | 32+ | 20 | BBC (Mux B) | DVB-T |
| 570.166 MHz | 33+ | 20 | Arqiva (Mux D) | DVB-T |
31 October 2002 – 24 May 2007
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 471.25 MHz | 21 | 500 | Channel 4 | PAL System I |
| 489.833 MHz | 23- | 20 | BBC (Mux 1) | DVB-T |
| 495.25 MHz | 24 | 500 | BBC2 South | PAL System I |
| 513.833 MHz | 26- | 20 | Arqiva (Mux C) | DVB-T |
| 519.25 MHz | 27 | 500 | Meridian | PAL System I |
| 530.000 MHz | 28 | 20 | Digital 3&4 (Mux 2) | DVB-T |
| 546.000 MHz | 30 | 20 | SDN (Mux A) | DVB-T |
| 551.25 MHz | 31 | 500 | BBC1 South | PAL System I |
| 562.166 MHz | 32+ | 20 | BBC (Mux B) | DVB-T |
| 570.166 MHz | 33+ | 20 | Arqiva (Mux D) | DVB-T |
| 735.25 MHz | 54 | 2 | Solent TV | PAL System I |
24 May 2007 – 25 March 2009
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 471.25 MHz | 21 | 500 | Channel 4 | PAL System I |
| 489.833 MHz | 23- | 20 | BBC (Mux 1) | DVB-T |
| 495.25 MHz | 24 | 500 | BBC2 South | PAL System I |
| 513.833 MHz | 26- | 20 | Arqiva (Mux C) | DVB-T |
| 519.25 MHz | 27 | 500 | Meridian | PAL System I |
| 530.000 MHz | 28 | 20 | Digital 3&4 (Mux 2) | DVB-T |
| 546.000 MHz | 30 | 20 | SDN (Mux A) | DVB-T |
| 551.25 MHz | 31 | 500 | BBC1 South | PAL System I |
| 562.166 MHz | 32+ | 20 | BBC (Mux B) | DVB-T |
| 570.166 MHz | 33+ | 20 | Arqiva (Mux D) | DVB-T |
25 March 2009 – 7 March 2012
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 471.25 MHz | 21 | 500 | Channel 4 | PAL System I |
| 495.25 MHz | 24 | 500 | BBC2 South | PAL System I |
| 519.25 MHz | 27 | 500 | Meridian | PAL System I |
| 530.166 MHz | 28+ | 20 | BBC (Mux B) | DVB-T |
| 545.833 MHz | 30- | 20 | SDN (Mux A) | DVB-T |
| 551.25 MHz | 31 | 500 | BBC1 South | PAL System I |
| 562.166 MHz | 32+ | 20 | Digital 3&4 (Mux 2) | DVB-T |
| 570.166 MHz | 33+ | 20 | Arqiva (Mux D) | DVB-T |
| 578.000 MHz | 34 | 20 | BBC (Mux 1) | DVB-T |
| 602.166 MHz | 37+ | 20 | Arqiva (Mux C) | DVB-T |
7 March 2012 – 21 March 2012
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service | System | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H | V | ||||
| 471.25 MHz | 21 | 500 | — | Channel 4 | PAL System I |
| 498.000 MHz | 24 | 200 | 200 | BBC A | DVB-T |
| 519.25 MHz | 27 | 500 | — | Meridian | PAL System I |
| 530.166 MHz | 28+ | 20 | — | BBC (Mux B) | DVB-T |
| 545.833 MHz | 30- | 20 | — | SDN (Mux A) | DVB-T |
| 551.25 MHz | 31 | 500 | — | BBC1 South | PAL System I |
| 562.166 MHz | 32+ | 20 | — | Digital 3&4 (Mux 2) | DVB-T |
| 570.166 MHz | 33+ | 20 | — | Arqiva (Mux D) | DVB-T |
| 602.166 MHz | 37+ | 20 | — | Arqiva (Mux C) | DVB-T |
Digital television
21 March 2012 – 18 April 2012
18 April 2012 – present
The commercial multiplexes were situated on their pre-DSO frequencies until 18 April 2012, when they started transmitting at vertical polarisation.[16]
See also
- Chillerton Down – a transmission site approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from Rowridge, broadcasting a mix of analogue and digital radio stations not available from Rowridge
- List of masts